23 posts tagged “family”
These are just some pictures that I've put in my album but not "posted". Figured I'd catch up before my crazy weekend....:-)
There are a TON of old friends that I connected with on facebook....this is one of them. This is Jen Wiles. I used to work with her at the donut shop when I was likke 17-18. She's a really cool chick and I was so happy to see her on facebook! We've been chatting and catching up for a few months and after trying for months, we finally managed to go out one Saturday night and had a REALLY good time!!! I can't wait to do it again! She's a blast!! These are a couple of pictures from that night.....
It's gonna be a busy blog day, I have something else to post later.....the kids are doing their fundraiser at school and I want to post a link in case anyone would like to get anything....I'm thinking Christmas gifts. There's some cute stuff they are selling this year!
tah, for now!
So here are a few pictures from the BBQ on Saturday....we didn't get a ton of them, which is a drag, but at least there are a few! :-)
This is my sister and the cake...Niki had it made half for Rick and half for Mommy...it looked really cute!
Mommy and Rick making a wish and blowing out the candles!!
Today is my mom's actual birthday and for her bday I was going to get her a nice pot for her garden or something like that...something she'll actually use and like...but instead I had this picture printed out and I'm gonna go run and pick it up and then I'll grab a nice frame for it...she's gonna love it! I'm so excited to give it to her. She gets out of work at 2pm....I CAN'T WAIT!!!! LOL I so love giving GOOD gifts....:-)
Happy, Happy Birthday Mommy.....I love you so much!!!!
Enjoy the pics!!!
I am so, so ecstatic for her them....and so wishing I could get on a plane to Alaska right this second...
I so just want to scoop up this little bundle of love and smother her with kisses and just watch her, be her.
This baby was so longed for, so wanted, so waited for....by Chris and Danielle AND by so many people (me included) who adore them and just knew what an awesome big brother Joey would make....
I am thrilled she is here.....so thrilled.
And how about that name, huh? So beautiful!!! I love it!!!
congrats Danielle, Chris & Joey....and Welcome to the world, Ava!!!!!
Zak's birthday was Sunday and we had a little get together here at the house on Saturday night....
It was all of us and a few of my friends and we had a really good time. Mom, Niki, Rick, Shelly, Scott, Steve and me and Zak. Scotty and Shelly brought their boys and the kids all played together while the grown ups visited and had a few drinks...it was a really fun time. Zak got to kick back and have a few more beers than he normally would because he's usually the driver, which was really cool. I love when he gets to kick back and have a really good time. And a really good time he had, let me tell you. :-)
Sunday, it was just me, zak, the kids and my mom....Zak made his cake (he makes a WAY better cake than I can, so he does the cake thing....but less you think the poor man got screwed, I DID make him a cheesecake, for his present...:-) ) The kids helped him decorate it.....
Love this picture.....
This birthday was tough without her. It just wasn't the same this year, it just didn't feel the way his birthday feels when we were up in Alaska....it wasn't a bad birthday, by any means...it was just different. Up in Alaska, it's just felt bigger. Everyone gets involved, everyone hangs out all day, getting ready for it...even if someone has to work, we would still keep in touch all throughout the day, in preperation for the PAHTAAAAYYY!!
it's an EVENT and something we plan and look forward to, for a long time.....
So while we had a really good time and it was fun.....Ceci and our Alaska people were definitely missed. :-)
Sometimes it's so hard to put things into words without hurting someone's feelings.....I want Ceci and our Alaska people to know they were missed, but I don't want the people that are here to feel like it wasn't a fun birthday, because it was....it was just different....
Really, I don't know what I'm so worried about...most of my family doesn't read this blog, anyway.....LOL
But just in case, I wanted to point that out......:-)
Happy, Happy Birthday, husband!!! Love you!!!
I've talked about that on here before, so I won't go into all the details....here's a link to a post that describes what it is, exactly and how it started, if you don't know and would like to.....Princess Jonana Day defined.
When I first woke up yesterday, I remembered that it was Princess Jonana Day but then I immediately started thinking the rest of my day. What I needed to get done, what I wanted to get done, etc.....
A few hours later, I come up from starting laundry downstairs and I check my caller id to make sure I didn't miss a call while I was in the laundry room. I see that Kim called. I think "oh cool!" and I call her back, happy that I actually had a few minutes so I could call her back, right away.
As soon as she answers, she says "Happy Princess Jonana Day!" and I am thrilled because I had forgot! Even when I saw her name on the caller id, it didn't remind me of that. I was just so excited to be able to talk to her and happy that she had called and it just truly slipped my mind until she said it !!
We actually got to talk for quite awhile and fairly uninterrupted, which is a real treat for us. Both of us have kids at home so getting to have a long conversation is truly a treat that we do not get very often and it made me so, so happy!!
During our phone call, we talked about so much.....she got to tell me all about the adoption hearing for the boys, which gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes, it was wonderful being able to hear about that! We just talked about everything AND the best part of all....she sent me a picture of the gift she made me for Princess Jonana Day. It's not done yet, but I am so glad she sent the picture....
How amazing is this?? It's a tapestry type thing to hang on my wall, with all of their handprints.....Kim, Tina, their mom (how I love that she gets into Princess Jonana Day, too!!!) and all the kids....Brandon, Daniel, Travis, Emerald, Jaden and Brady....I absolutely cannot WAIT to get this and hang it on my wall.....so can't wait.
Can I just say I really think I am the luckiest girl in the world.....I so have the best family and friends in the entire world and sometimes I don't feel worthy, they are all so incredibly good to me that I honestly don't know what I have done to deserve the love, kindness, joy and generousity that they all give me!!!
For whatever reason, though....I'll take it!!!!
LOL
The last 3 days have been so busy, my head is spinning!!!
Saturday night around 5:30ish.....
Zak was heading to go grab a pizza for us for dinner, from Costco. They have such a kick ass deal on pizza. I try to keep our meals in the $10 range. When I grocery shop and budget and all that, that is the goal...$10. These pizzas are only $12...so it's a nice splurge but still within reason. So he's going to get it. Mom and I were sitting in the yard and just chatting and as Zak is pulling away, he pulls up, rolls down the window and asks me "Hey...you want to go see Elton John and Billy Joel" and before he's even done with the words, I'm nodding frantically..."Hell yeah!" I say. So he pulls away, on the phone. I figure he's trying to win tickets from a radio station. I say to Mom.."he's so gonna get the tickets, we are so going...." I just knew it. Knew it, knew it, knew it.
Now, the concert is in Foxboro, at GILLETTE STADIUM!!!! Very, VERY cool!! The downside....it's already 5:30, passed 5:30 and pushing 6pm, actually....Foxboro is an hour away..concert is gonna start at 7:30pm. But I'm thinking we can do this and we won't miss much of the show because there will be an opening act. And mom is cool with watching the kids. I can get dressed real quick and we can be out the door.
Zak calls back and he explains the situation a little more. Turns out he's not trying to win them, a client is giving them to him! (So my gut "I know we are going feeling" was so right!! LOL ) The people that had the tickets were sick, so they couldn't go and asked Zak's client if she knew someone that would like to go and she thought of me and Zak. NICE! Now the problem is, so we think, that the tickets are all the way in Sandown...which is an hour away....an hour away in the opposite direction of Foxboro....so now we're debating..are we going to be able to see enough of the concert to make it worth the drive....the gas. We hang up, still not certain what we're gonna do and Zak gets home. Turns out the tickets are actually in a town that is only about 20 minutes out of the way....WE ARE SO GOING!!
So I get dressed and we go. And I get to GO IN GILLETTE STADIUM....which made me cry. Because, as we've talked about before, I am a total wussbag. Anyway..the show was amazing, the seats were good and it was such a good time! And I got to call FOUR people from the show....
My brother, when they played "Daniel"....
Shelly, when they played "We Didn't Start the Fire"...
James, when they played "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues".
..."just stare into space/picture my face in your hands...."
And Ceci....just because I was so freakin' excited, I HAD to tell her!!!
And we got a little video of it.....it was too big for my blog, so I made a you tube account (like the name? Joeyish22...ha!! ) Here's the link.
Such an amazing gift! So thankful for this whole experience.....it's not something we would have been able to do and it's something I love doing so much!!!
AND..it was IMPULSIVE...how 'bout THAT! SEE! I can be impulsive! <wink>
Then Sunday.....we went and cleaned a client's house. It was construction type messy....the contractor just tore this house apart. It's ubelievable how they left this house..I'm amazed at the utter lack of consideration these guys displayed. Crazy. So we spent Sunday doing that, while the kids played in the yard and caught tadpoles and frogs and grasshoppers. A friend of the client was there and he spent a lot of time playing with the kids, which really, really helped us get a lot done. Very cool! AND I'm getting paid for this.....do you have any clue how cool it feels to earn my own money?? LOL
And then MONDAY.....My Auntie, my mom, me and the kids went and picked up my cousin Freddy, from jail. He was in there a very, very long time and it was so awesome to get to see him!!!! So happy he is out of there and it's all I have right now to not get in my car and go rush down to Boston to see him!!!!! LOL But he is getting settled and stuff, so I have to wait. Which sucks. But I am thankful that I at least got to be there when he got out. Poor Billiejo couldn't go beacuse she has her daycare......and with him getting out....yet another member of the family is "home".
We're all getting back home.....one by one. :-)
AND....today is Danielle's due date!!! I am so thinking of her and sending her quick and easy delivery vibes!! LOL
I'll update when I know more....I think I am going to try to call Kim today. I wanted to call her this weekend, but it go too crazy...it's been about a month since we talked and that's just too long....I've been missing her. Plus, I want to see if she's knows Danielle's status. LOL I want to call Danielle, but I imagine her phone is going to be ringing endlessly, so I just emailed her to let her know we're thinking of her and I maybe MIGHT text her later.....we'll see!!!
Whew!!!!
And I didn't even talk about everything I wanted to !!!!
But I gotta get the kids ready to go to Shelly's for the afternoon and I need to call Tina back. :-)
the last day has just been so full of incredible "feel good" moments....
I have these days only once in awhile and I call them my "Oh come let us adore me" days!!! LOL
J and I have a plan to meet, finally.....and here wanting to meet my family, her wanting Jaime to go to the concert with us, her wanting to get to share a "first" with me and my daughter.....her saying..."of course I want to meet your family!" as if I would be crazy to think she wouldn't want them to come.....this is huge for me. My family is an extension of me, obviously...she loves me so much that she wants to meet the people most important to me. And I know this....of course she would want to meet them!!....but to hear her say it. And to hear her excited about me coming....and wanting my family to come.....it's just been a really amazing feeling. It makes me realize just how "big" our friendship really is......AND she has told me a couple of times in recent days that my advice has been spot on......and THAT makes me so happy, to know that my advice really helped! :-)
I am part of a women's group.....it's a group of 6 of us. A childhood family friend of mine.....she's more like a cousin.....started it. It has been such a wonderful thing to have, this group. It has been enlightening and so, so fun! And I got a huge pat on the back last night.....for my writing, for my personality and for my passion.....just about all the things that I really love about myself, was appreciated and holy cow, did that feel GOOD. I could really go on and on about this because it is just so, so gratifying and humbling to have the parts of you that you happen to really like, liked and to be told that?? Amazing!!! AND it makes me want to WRITE more! LOL I second guess my writing, at times...like maybe it's actually not that great....or it's not "good" enough....am I really making people feel what I am saying? Are people "getting" it? Are they getting me? And over the last week and with last night's email....I have got so mnay validations that yeah....I'm doing things just fine! :-)
I have been teasing Shelly about changing her birthday party for me. And through this teasing, it's making me see just how close we are. There aren't many people I would be able to say...."come on! change your birthday party, you know you won't have as much fun without me...." to, without feeling like I'm being a spoiled brat. LOL But with her....it's really true! and while I AM being a brat.....I'm diggin' that I can be "me" with her. I can ask her that and know she "gets" it......and the feeling is mutual. I would not have as much fun at my birthday party, without HER. This whole thing is just making me realize how well she knows me and just how close we are......funny how distance did not change a thing....we have fallen right back into our friendship as if I never left......
And then, as I was driving home last nigt, it was thundering and lightening BAD. Like briliant lighting that was blinding me, it was so bright! The thunder was just so incredibly LOUD. And it was POURING buckets....it was actually a little scary. I was driving and just wanting to get home so badly.....I had about 4 minutes of the drive left.....and "Joey" came on.....as corny as it is......it made me feel like Ceci and J were "with" me for those last few minutes.....and all of a sudden, I was lost in thoughts of both of them and before I knew it, I was pulling in my driveway. :-)
Right before I pulled in...there was an exceptionally HUGE crack of thunder. I was just amazed at how loud it was.....so I park (I always back the truck in...even in a torrential downpour...OCD anyone?) text Shelly to let her know I was home and I rush into the house.....
to find my mommy upstairs, looking to see if I had made it home. Because she was worried with the storm....
I don't care how old you are, having your mommy waiting for you to come in late at night, makes you feel so loved.....
:And then this morning....I check my facebook and someone that I know pretty well up in Alaska, was "missing" me last night....now I miss her and have since we left but she isn't someone I would think would really "miss" me......surprises are a wonderful, wonderful thing!!!! LOL
Life is good.....really, really good sometimes!!! And I love to blog about these times so that during the "crappy" times, I can come back and read this and remember I have SO MUCH to be happy about and grateful for!!!!
is all that is keeping me from meeting J....
A little history....
J and I met online, on a Bon Jovi message board, to be exact.
Now back when we met....it was still a little "weird" to say you were friends with someone online.....I know it's hard to imagine that, but really it USED to be that way....and we instantly felt a connection, there was an instant bond with us. And both of us felt a little weirded out by it....LOL A little scared, even.
But we figured as long as we didn't call each other, we'd be okay....
That lasted a couple weeks, at best.
And ever since then we have been very close friends. She is one of my best friends. She is my friend that I consider my soulmate....I know I was meant to meet this woman. Anyway, we have made plans over the years to meet in person and for one reason or another, they always fall through. Living in Alaska for almost all of our friendship, has not helped matters any....
One of the perks of moving back home was that I would get to meet J.
Well, we had a plan last summer for me to go there and beause of money....we just couldn't swing it.
I was heartbroken...again.
Mariah is perfoming on the Today Show Summer Concert series at the end of the summer. August 28th. J is telling me how she wants to go...so I start thinking well, me too!! LOL I mean come on, Mariah for free?? I am so there! And I'm thinking a ticket to NYC from Boston can't be that much....so I start looking some stuff up and J and I talk and look some more stuff up and then I talk to Zak...
So now we have another plan.
And I know J is going to be heisitant to be excited about it, as we have been here a million times before.
But I don't have quite the defense that she has....she's a bit tougher than me, in that regard.
I am BEYOND excited....
I get to see J..meet her, watch her talk...look at her mannerisms....her expressions....her eyes when she laughs...
I get to meet her son. I cannot wait to hold this little boy that she struggled so hard to have. It makes my heart happy just imaging it....
I get to meet her husband.
I get to meet her dogs. Shelby and Kenzi...
AND as if this wasn't enough.....there is more.
My family is coming.
She gets to meet the loves of my life....the things I am most proud of.....and she WANTS TO...she is happy they are coming..SHE actually is the one who suggested they come.....THAT makes me so beyond words happy!!
AND...oh yes, there's more!
WE'RE GOING TO SEE MARIAH CAREY ON THE TODAY SHOW SUMMER CONCERT SERIES!!!!!
aarrrggghhhhhhh!!!!
Could this BE any more AMAZING???
I have never gottten to see Mariah in concert....I have never been to New York City....I have never gotten to meet J....Jaime has never gotten to see a concert and J says to me "Can't Jaime come with us?" I. FREAKIN'. LOVE. THIS. WOMAN. !!!!!! I was talking about how Zak and the kids can go do something while J and I go to the concert....well J wasn't having any of that. LOL And OF COURSE I want Jaime to go! She is so going to love going to that!! And I am going to love taking her to her first concert...WITH J and her son, Drew.
I don't know if I'm going to make until then....I think I am going to die of excitement before I even GET there!
If you are the wishing or praying type....would you please, please, PLEASE...say a prayer, make a wish that this works out! We have done this so many times.....and although I'm excited...I know a lot can happen between now and then, so I need all the wishes/prayers I can get.
I so want to meet her. I so want to meet her son. I so want to see Mariah---FOR FREE!!!--I so want to see NYC.....I want this so bad. We have done nothing "big" since we have been here. Wait....the circus. Mom took us to the circus...but that is the only really big thing we have done.....we, as a family, so need this...
Pray and wish, baby!!!!
Pray and wish!
.
So the last two posts were about other stuff and not us, so here's one about us....
It has been really busy the last almost week....the weather has finally changed and we have been enjoying the hell out of it!
Zak has been taking the kids up to the public pool, I've been getting back to my "to do" lists, so I have been super busy, puttering, cleaning and organizing. My auntie came this weekend. She came so she could visit and go see Freddy at the jail. So Mom, me and Ben dropped her off there and then we went to the old Fort Devens . We had to drive through Shirley to get to the jail and it actually made my stomach drop....I hadn't been through there in years and years....and that is where Chris lived...remember him? I talked about him, in this post. Driving through there just made me think of him and way back when and I was almost overwhelmed to tears, just thinking of him, his mother and his brother and thinking how incredibly sad it was that he was gone...I pulled myself together, quick though. I was just surprised how moved I was, just driving through there.
Ben also saw his very first freight train that day! Right through Shirley!! It was cool and he really dug it. That made me so happy!!!
Mom bought the kids a slip and slide and it was FINALLY nice enough to let them play with it....here's some pics.
And here's one more....for everyone that wishes I would post a pic of me.....this is mummy and me. This is the "adult" part of the yard! LOL When Niki and Rick come over, when me and Zak are sitting outside, when Shelly and Steve come up to hang out, when I am on the phone with you and I say I am going outside to smoke, when the adults sit around an talk after a kid party....THIS is where we are sitting. :-) It's a mess in this picture and I look like hell...no make up, hair just thrown back, jeans and bummy tshirt....but you get the idea....
Enjoy!
My cousin's daughter, Josslin, is graduating. High school. So weird. I can't believe she's all grown up. Looking at Josslin makes me realize just how long I lived in Alaska. I was there almost her whole entire life....it blows my mind when I put my time there into that kind of context...it makes it feel like I was gone an entire lifetime....which is okay, this is not a bash Alaska thing, it just puts the time into a different kind of perspective and it throws me a for loop every once in awhile....LOL
Billiejo threw a huge party for her and we went down to the cape for it and had a really, really good time. Me, maybe a little too good of a time. I kinda sorta maybe fell asleep (okay, okay..passed out...) for a couple hours of it. Not my fault though. Honestly, this time!! Let me explain...
I have a serious, serious problem with driving on the highways down here. Actually, let me correct that, I have a huge problem with being a passenger on the highways down here. I have serious anxiety attacks and it is not fun for me, nor the person driving. So on this trip to the cape I decide I'm going to take a valium to see if that helps ease the anxiety. It worked. Like a dream. I only flinched when I had a legitimate reason to..(car swerving into our lane...lol) and it was a much better ride. Whoo-hoo!
Well, we get to the cape and there is no alcohol. Apparently that doesn't come until later at Billiejo's parties. Well that's not gonna work for me cause I'm still feeling kind of good from the valium and I'm wanting to keep this party going. So Zak takes me to the liquor store and I get some stuff. And then go back to the party and drink it. And then promptly go to sleep. Not good. I actually didn't drink too much, it was the valium that I compeltely misjudged. I took two when I should've only taken one. My bad. Duly noted for the next time. ..
Anyway....the party was such a blast and I saw family that I haven't seen since I was a kid.....so cool! I love family parties like that, so love when we all get together. Zak had a blast because they broke out the volleyball net and they played some serious volleyball and he gets along with everyone in my family so well. The kids had a blast with all the other kids....it was just a good time all around. My cousin Freddy called and I got to talk to him which was really nice because I haven't talked to him in probably over a year. It was such a great day and such a great party.
On the way down to the cape, we hopped off the highway and drove through my old neighborhood in Boston. So freakin' cool to go through there with the kids and show them where I grew up. I got to show them a few of the schools we went to, the stores we used to go to for my mom, the streets we used to play on, the subway station I walked to to take the train to school. They got a see a subway train for the first time....it was just so neat. And one thing as we were driving around, I realized...no way in hell would I raise my kids in the city! No freakin' way!! LOL I was 8 when we moved back to Boston from Iowa...same age as Jaime is now and I can't fathom for an instant her playing on the sidewalks of Boston....it makes me shudder just thinking it!! I would be so scared....just so nervous something would happen to her. It just made me laugh...how different things are for my kids than they were for me when I was a child. Another great thing about driving through Boston is when we went by our old apartment, I looked at the house, of course, and realized they changed the door!! Remember the pictures I had taken of my old apartment and remember how excited I was that the door was still the same?? In case you don't, here's the post....Boston
Anyway, seeing that door changed made me so, so grateful that I got those pics!! Yay!!!
It was a fantastic day filled with nostalgia and the realization that I am so glad that I was able to move back home. I love being close to where I came from....being close to my roots. And as much as I miss the people in Alaska...there truly is no place like home....
